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New Cambria constitutional referendum, 2009
The New Cambria constitutional referendum, 2009 is a proposal to replace the current Constitution of New Cambria with a new document. A proposal to replace the constitution was passed by the Assembly of Deputies of New Cambria on 24 September 2009, by a vote of 78 in favour and 12 against, with nine deputies voting "present" and one deputy absent. The public vote was held on 17 October, where it passed with 55% of voters in favour. It will go into effect on 1 January 2010. Background The current Constitution of New Cambria was adopted in 1961, following the United Kingdom's recognition of New Cambria's independence. The document was adopted by the Provisional Government of New Cambria, and replaced the country's first constitution, which went into force five years previously. Criticism of the current constitution is mostly centred on five perceived flaws: * the extraordinarily long time between the end of presidential and legislative terms and the beginnings of their successors; * the inability of municipal and county councils to levy taxes as a means of generating significant income; * the lack of separation between church and state; * the unclear descriptions of the duties of several key governmental positions, particularly the President and Executive Council; and * the advisory role of the Senate of New Cambria, the Parliament's upper house. Elections The current constitution requires elections to be held within 60 days of the expiration of the previous presidential or legislative term, and the new term must begin on the first day of the first month following the 30th day after the election. This could produce a significant time between the outgoing and incoming Presidents or Assemblies. For example, if an Assembly dissolves on 5 March, an election to replace it could be held as late as 4 May, 60 days later. If the election is held on 4 May, the new Assembly would convene on 1 July, a full 118 days after the outgoing Assembly's dissolution. The new constitution seeks to fix this flaw by requiring elections to be held within the last 60 days of the current presidential or legislative term, or within 30 days following its termination in the event it is unexpectedly terminated. The incoming President's or Assembly's term would then begin on the same day the outgoing one expires in the former scenario, or within 30 days of the election in the latter. Taxation Church and State The Roman Catholic Church is the national church of New Cambria, and is supported in that role by the government. To that end, the Church and its members are party to certain governmental benefits not available to other religious organizations, members of other religious organizations, or non-religious people. For example, Roman Catholic parents can send their children to private Catholic schools and have the schools' tuition and fees reimbursed, whereas non-Catholic families are ineligible for reimbursement. There have been dozens of proposals to reform or eliminate that distinction from the existing constitution, though none has ever gained any significant support. The new constitution uphold's the Church's position as the national church of New Cambria, but explicitly states that freedom of religion is guaranteed by the government, and that no one may lose his or her civil rights on account of religion. Governmental Positions Senate The Senate of New Cambria, the bicameral Parliament's upper house, is a 50-member chamber with limited legislative powers. Its members are elected to various "professional boards," representing commerce, agriculture, culture, technology, transportation, and other areas. The Senate is not directly elected, rather its members are selected by various groups from lists of nominees. The Senate was originally intended to serve as an advisory body to balance out the democratically elected Assembly, but it is often criticized as being weak and dominated by the sitting government. There are frequently allegations of patronage in the selection of its members, with Senators often being close allies of the Prime Minister or Assembly candidates who failed to win election. Many Senators are subsequently elected as ADs. The new constitution eliminates the Senate altogether, effectively making the Assembly of Deputies and Parliament itself one and the same. Referendum The referendum to adopt the new constitution will be held on Saturday, 17 October 2009. Polls will be open from 7:00am to 10:00pm. Counting the votes will begin at Noon and continue until the results have been certified. The most recent electoral register lists 1,996,943 eligible voters, or approximately 72.1% of the total population of New Cambria. Non-citizens are prohibited from voting in the referendum, as are citizens under the age of 18, though non-resident citizens age 18 and older may vote, and many have already submitted their ballots by mail. The referendum requires a simple majority of eligible voters to participate in order to be declared a valid ballot. For the referendum to pass, a simple majority of valid votes is required. The reform is supported by most major political parties in New Cambria, with the exceptions of the National party and the Socialist party, each of which has one seat in the current Assembly. Most recent polls indicate a slight preference toward approval, but only by a few percentage points. Results In the referendum, the electorate were asked to indicate: # "Do you support the passage of the New Cambria Constitutional Reform Act, 2009, which will replace the existing Constitution of New Cambria with the proposed version passed by the Assembly of Deputies on 24 September 2009?" or # "Do you support keeping the existing Constitution of New Cambria as the sole supreme law of the Republic of New Cambria?" The Act required that a majority of the electorate participate in the election by casting valid votes. The Act also required that a supermajority of 55% be reached in order for the Constitution to be replaced. After two independent audits to verify the results, the Act was certified to have passed on 18 October 2009. The number of votes for "Option 1" (adopting the new constitution) was only 8,548 votes above the required threshold. Category:New Cambria